A Prayer for New Friends
By Kelly Balarie
Bible Reading
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." – Proverbs 18:24 NIV
Sitting on the folding chair, I leaned forward. I wanted to catch a glimpse of my son on the football field. It would be a tragedy if I missed that special moment when he triumphantly caught a long pass and victoriously scored. Still, though, in between plays, I couldn’t help but get a little distracted…
An article in a magazine grabbed my attention. It was about friendships. I related. The concept conveyed in this article was why we keep bad friends. It convicted me. Friends, I am guilty of keeping bad friends to feel good about me.
What do I mean by this? Many times, I don’t want to face feeling like a failure because the friendship didn’t work out. I don’t want to, down the road, feel guilty that I didn’t them win them over with my love. I don’t want to have regrets and then be forced to sort through all that. Underneath it all, I suppose that I fear the future, more than the pain of the passive-aggressive, mean, or unloyal actions of the friend I’m existing with.
Is this what God wants for me? Proverbs 18:24 conveys two things that are vital to acknowledge:
Wow. To endure with a bad friend causes certain ruin. This doesn’t seem like a wishy-washy conclusion; it seems like I need to make a quick separation.
God has other friends for me. Reliable ones. True ones. Faithful ones.
Often, we don’t get rid of what is bad for us because we believe there is nothing good for us out there. We keep horrible things and miss God’s great things when we don’t believe and receive the second part of Proverbs 18:24. God has great relationships for us. God has friends for us who will stick closer than brothers. This is huge! God has amazing friends for us—ones who understand, ones who lead us closer to Him, ones who encourage us, and ones who stand with us during hard times.
We don’t have to settle for what is bad out of fear of what could happen. Sometimes, friends are for a season; sometimes, they are for a lifetime. Sometimes friends help us get through a specific trial, sometimes they walk us through life’s journey. Sometimes friends are there to pray for us, sometimes we are there to pray for them. Sometimes, friends are there to prune us, and sometimes, they are there so we learn how to use our voices and to stand up.
God has a purpose and a season for everything. Perhaps this is a season for you to learn how to move on to welcome new people into your life. He will give you the grace, the power, and the strength to let go and to receive the new friends He brings along your path.
Let’s pray:
Father, give me the grace, the power, and the strength to let go of people that you are not calling me to be close with this season. At the same time, Father, I ask you to also empower me to see and to receive the new friends You have for me. Father, I want your best. Give me eyes to see rightly. Give me a heart that honors and that does not grieve your Holy Spirit. Help me to let go of the people who are not good for me. I ask you to bring to me new friends for your glory and your purpose. Give me an understanding of the purpose of our friendship so that I can walk in that.
In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Zorica Nastasic
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